


Only Skin Deep

by photonconductor



Category: Dragalia Lost (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Minor body dysphoria, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:48:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24517198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/photonconductor/pseuds/photonconductor
Summary: Aldred's time at the Halidom can only be described as one word: interesting. While he tries to find clues to the Syndicate's whereabouts, he runs into some people who fit that description perfectly.
Relationships: Aldred & Cassandra (Dragalia Lost), Aldred & Cleo (Dragalia Lost)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	Only Skin Deep

**Author's Note:**

> i would die for aldred and cassandra the fic

“Hey.”

The man never looked up from his book, eyes glued firmly to the page as if its contents were something like a treasure. The voice’s owner stared at him like a predator examining its prey. Maybe with his draconic-like appearance, Aldred fit the part more than he would like. However, this guy wasn’t exactly a looker himself what with all that weird stitching across his face. He must have picked some seriously nasty battle if he was walking around like that. Not that Aldred had any room to talk.

“ _Hey_.” He said again, firmer this time. The man’s eyes continued to be firmly fixated on the book. 

“Are you deaf or something, old man?”

Still no response. That felt like a firm confirmation to Aldred. The boy let a hiss of air escape from between his teeth. 

“Gah, this is stupid.”

Why was he even hanging around here? He roughly shoved his thumbs into his pockets, his mood souring. Well, as if it wasn’t already soured anyway. If he really was deaf, then he’d need someone else to communicate for him. There wasn’t any paper around here…? Part of him thought about just grabbing the book from his hands and tossing it to the side until he paid attention to him, but that wouldn’t get him anywhere.

“Tough luck, kiddo. Once Heinwald’s got his nose stuck in a book, it’ll take more than a few insults to move ‘em. Guy’s as stubborn as a sheep.” Aldred’s attention turned to a voice coming out from the other end of the library. A large man appeared from behind the bookshelves, holding a few tomes from the shelves underneath his arms. He was dressed like a man from the church, but the way he carried himself wouldn’t be what Aldred called a “holy man”. 

Not that Aldred really cared about that stuff anyway. Ilia wasn’t exactly feeling merciful when he cried out to her for help.

“I believe the correct turn of phrase is ‘mule’.” Heinwald finally spoke, though his eyes never retreated from the page.

“The heck? How’d you do that?” Aldred’s gaze was on Curran at that moment. Curran merely gave a half-hearted shrug.

“I wouldn’t exactly call it a skill of mine, but Heinwald loves to get my boat.”

“Stop trying to look cool, it’s embarrassing.” Heinwald spoke curtly. Curran only let out a grunt in response to that, deciding maybe it was best to just ignore whatever he was saying. He opted for dropping his stack of books on the cherry wood table he was seated at. Despite the dull, loud thud that echoed throughout the library Heinwald didn’t seem phased. Curran took the seat across from him with a sigh, sliding one of the books across the table to himself. Aldred remained standing at the edge of the table, his own eyes boring into the bookworm.

“What are you pestering me for?” Heinwald sounded like he was addressing Aldred, but he never once looked towards him. His red eyes were still fixated on whatever he was reading. Aldred figured it must be something important if he couldn’t even attempt to be pleasant. Maybe he had just gotten too used to Euden’s goody-two-shoes gang. This guy was like night and day compared to the rest of them.

“You’re some guy they call the ‘seeker of truth’ or whatever, right?” Aldred asked. Heinwald gave a noncommittal shrug.

“You know anything about the Syndicate?”

“I am only interested in the pursuits of mystery. More specifically those with cases attached to them.” Heinwald turned a page.

“What’s that supposed to mean? You know ‘em or not?” Aldred pressed with a scowl. Heinwald continued his silence. Aldred was starting to feel heat crawl up his neck. What was with his attitude? Was this guy really holding information for the Syndicate from him? Did he work for them?! No, there was no way Euden would let some Syndicate goon in his headquarters… 

Actually, now that Aldred thought about it, he totally would. _Damn_ , that guy was too nice for his own good. His scales prickled on his arm and he could feel his tail slightly rise.

“Alright, alright, let’s not get too hasty here.” Curran broke his train of thought and his scales flattened. Aldred’s eyes were on him, though Curran didn’t exactly meet his heated gaze either. Heinwald gave a sigh, as if he were finally bored of the book he were reading. His gaze was freed from the entrapment of the book and he looked evenly towards the redhead.

“Before you accuse me as a member of this group, I don’t work with any association. I merely observe truths, therefore I do not align myself with any faction.” Heinwald said flatly.

“What? I didn’t say that—”

“No, but you were thinking about it, weren’t you?” His tone was level, “Besides, it’s not like you aren’t known for your— _ahem_ —frequent outbursts about Syndicate members being among bugs in the field.” 

Aldred buried his head in his shirt collar just slightly, looking away with a flushed face.

“Wh-whatever! Just start tellin’ me what you know already!” He hurriedly tried to change the subject. Heinwald exchanged a brief glance with Curran before he rolled his eyes.

“And I told you, I am only interested in _cases_.” Just like that, his eyes were back to his book again. Aldred could feel his anger starting to spike again. What the heck was with this guy?

“Hey, can’t you just give me a straight answer?! Do you know them or not?” Aldred asked again, this time slamming his hands onto the table. His scales were starting to raise again. Why was he even beating around the bush? Curran looked startled, but Heinwald remained as composed as ever.

“C’mon, Heinwald, you shouldn’t tease him.” Curran tried to diffuse the situation, but the other man held no similar feelings. He gave him a shrug in response.

“I believe I explained myself very clearly.”

“Gah, you’re useless!” Aldred growled in near defeat. He didn’t want to give in just yet if this guy really knew something, but man he was grinding on his last nerve. Those nerves had already been exposed long ago.

“I think what this dolt is trying to say is that he doesn’t know anything that can help you.” Curran answered for him, looking up from his own open book, “Unless you wanna throw the kid a bone, Heinwald.” The staff-user only sighed a little. He seemed more annoyed now than he had been moments prior. 

_That would make two of us,_ Aldred thought to himself.

“I do know of the Syndicate, yes.” Heinwald finally answered and Aldred perked up. He removed his hands from the table, even his tail lifted in interest. Man, why couldn’t this guy just say that in the first place? It would have made his life so much easier! However, he didn’t follow up with anything beyond that. Aldred sat in silence for a whole minute before his anger flared up again.

“Is that it?!” He nearly yelled.

“This is a library, you know.” Heinwald chastised him.

“Stop yanking my chain then!”

It earned him another sigh from the old-looking man. Aldred was sure he had aired out all the oxygen in his lungs with how many times he was doing it. Heinwald moved to the side, lifting an eloquently decorated bookmark from the table and pushed it between the book’s pages. With a soft clap, he closed the book between his fingers. Aldred straightened up a little. Apparently that had gotten _his_ boat… or whatever. Damn it, now he was doing it too!

Heinwald turned directly towards him, setting the book down onto the table. Finally, he had this geezer’s attention.

“It would be foolish if I did not know anything about the Syndicate itself. As it is an underground society, it is shrouded in mystery which is why I had investigated some of it prior to my time here in the Halidom.” That had both Aldred and Curran’s eyes widening.

“What? You never told me that.” Curran said.

“You never asked.” Heinwald replied. Curran almost looked put out by that comment.

“Okay, so what’d you find out then?” Aldred pushed the conversation back on track. Heinwald’s face darkened behind his glasses.

“I ran into them once; before their experiments on wyrmbinding were complete. As interesting as wyrmbinding is as a process, I don’t exactly condone using humans for these sorts of experiments. Much less humans being used against their wills.” Heinwald spoke calmly, despite his expression, “However, there is no mystery to be solved in the Syndicate's deeds. They merely desire for power, that is all there is to it. I have no reason to pursue them further nor any obligation to help you. I don’t deal with petty revenge schemes.”

Aldred felt his lips curl into a tiny snarl. Petty? Oh yeah, sure, big talk coming from a guy who sat around reading books all day. Before he could snap back, Curran interjected. He didn’t look too happy himself.

“C’mon, he’s just a kid. You could be a little nicer about it.” It was Curran’s turn to scold Heinwald.

“That’s quite the reprimand coming from you, Curran. You can’t even meet his gaze.” It was Heinwald’s turn to snipe back. That had Curran recoiling a little. Aldred merely frowned to himself. Ah, that explained a few things. It was his body that Curran was avoiding when they had exchanged glances earlier. 

Dragons were revered the same as the Goddess herself, he remembered from Sunday school back during more blissful times. Seeing his body fused with one of those sacred beasts, if Curran was in fact a holy man Aldred pegged him to be, he could only view his appearance as sacrilegious. Aldred didn’t scorn him for it.

This wasn’t anything new. It didn’t sting to Aldred anymore like most people would expect. He was used to it. 

Every town he had rolled through with screams of revenge pouring from his lips alongside Andromeda, they labeled him a beast; a curse made flesh. Those Syndicate goons labeled him an abomination; a failure to live up to a true bearer of dragonblood. Instead, he used those scornful looks as fuel for his revenge. It burned like a flame in his hollowed out body. 

Bah, he didn’t want to think about this anymore.

“It’s fine. I get it.” Aldred spoke quietly. That had both of their attention. Curran looked away with a bit of shame on his face, scratching at his cheek. Heinwald seemed no different, looking at him with that same indifference he showed off earlier.

“Dragons’re sacred and all that crap. Not like I exactly chose to look like this.” He was mostly speaking to himself than Curran, “But nothing about this is _petty_ . I _will_ have my revenge, whether or not you help me.” He spat that last part, making sure that the glasses guy got the brunt of it. Despite his harsh tone, Heinwald remained unphased.

“And what will you do after that, I wonder?” Heinwald asked.

“Maybe I’ll crush you next.” Aldred let that threat hang on tense air. The two held each other at a stand off before Aldred grunted. This was pointless. He only came here for information. His shoulders dropped from their hunched position and he turned his back on the sitting men. Even if Heinwald hadn’t really helped him, at least he knew who _not_ to talk to in the Halidom.

“Whatever. Thanks, I guess.” He turned on his heel and walked away. The two men didn’t chase after him, but he could feel their gazes pointed at his back. It made his skin crawl. Even at the Halidom, he still wasn’t completely accepted by everyone. _It doesn’t bother me_ , he told himself, but somehow there was an ugly itch just below his skin. It never bothered him before, so why did it itch now? That stupid dragon he was bound to was probably laughing at him.

As Aldred stalked off, he heard Curran’s voice from behind him. He didn’t bother to turn back.

“Aw hell…”

* * *

“My my, it’s rare I get whippersnappers like you here in my little abode.”

“Do you have to say stuff like that and make it sound creepy…?”

Aldred grunted as he stood there, awkwardly shuffling in place. He felt weird being inside Cassandra’s magical workshop. The smell of concoctions brewing in the back intermingled with the scent of tea irritated his nose. Due to the wyrmbinding, being bound to a dragon made him more sensitive to condensed points of mana. She must have built this place on a nearby mana fount or something, because being in here always made him feel restless.

Cassandra’s eyes were alight with mirth even with his complaints. She sat in her grandiose armchair, a hand resting on her cheek as she leaned into its armrest. Despite being an old hag, her appearance never let onto her true age. She looked as if she could be someone's mom. She _definitely_ was an old hag though.

“Come now, you should show a little respect towards your elders.” She smiled, “Now then, to what do I owe this pleasure?” Her shadow magic sparkled around her, picking up a pot of tea that had been set on the tea table in front of her. It levitated slowly as a teacup of similar porcelain raised itself to meet the spout. Aldred watched the teapot pour its contents into the cup with a scowl. 

What a show off.

Still, Aldred found himself at a loss here. Why had he bothered coming here? He just had ended up walking and found his feet at her door. Of all the people in the Halidom, somehow he ended up meeting up with these crackpot mage types. Maybe it was just something in the water? Who knew. However, Cassandra was different from most of the people here. She always stared at him directly, never shying her gaze from him. Despite her teasing, she always seemed genuine in her want to listen to anyone's problems. 

She reminded him of Euden… if he were an old bat, that was.

The silence between them was thick and uncomfortable. Aldred found himself unable to speak for once. He merely glared a hole into the table’s silk tablecloth as if it would burn away. Cassandra’s smile faded.

“Oh, dearie me. Seems to me you’re a little lost, hm?” Her tone was one of concern. She lifted her hand from leaning in her arm chair and straightened her posture. With a snap of her fingers, a box lifted itself off of one of the cabinets nearby. Aldred’s head raised, but before he could move a chair was being shoved right under him. It swept him clean off his feet and he gave out a sharp yelp in surprise.

“H-hey!” He barked. He let his body be caught by the chair’s back, not even fighting back about this predicament. The chair slowly placed itself right at the end of the table, directly across from the sorceress. Cassandra lifted her chin a little and the box set itself down right in the middle of it. Her wrist flicked once and a few tiny plates jumped out. They were decorated in a beautiful violet colored pattern, but it was soon covered up with some sort of pastry.

Aldred only had to sniff once to realize they were cookies. The floating teacup gently pushed its way into her left hand. She took a tiny sip of it, despite the daggers Aldred was glaring at her.

“I tried a new recipe with those cookies. Would you be a dear and give them a taste for me?” Cassandra’s eyes lit up with an air of mischief, but her smile was sincere. Aldred looked down at the cookies in front of him. They were plain looking; only colored a light golden brown to show they had been at least baked. She didn’t poison them or something did she?

“That’s not what I came here for.” Aldred grumbled. That earned him a raised eyebrow from her.

“Ah, so you _can_ speak.”

“Tch.” He clicked his tongue in annoyance. Cassandra only shrugged her bare shoulders, letting her feathered boa tickle the edges of her cheeks.

“Sorry to tease you, dearie.” Her words betrayed the smile on her face, “It’s nice to have visitors. Getting to the Halidom proper is a killer on these old bones.”

“Can’t you just use that chair and fly around with your magic?” Aldred picked up one of the cookies with suspicion. He poked it with his claw before it dropped back harmlessly onto the plate. Cassandra only laughed.

“Were it that easy! I’m not so old I can’t use my legs. Keeps the blood pumping.” She took another sip of her tea, “Would you care for a cup of tea?”

“No, I wasn’t planning on staying long.” Aldred shook his head, lest he get dragged into another tea party. Elisanne, Cleo and Andromeda had all dragged him in here once before. Needless to say, it wasn’t enjoyable. On that note, he found himself staring at her. Her youthful appearance was betrayed by her speech. Thinking on it, too, Heinwald had also had an odd look about him. He was covered in all those stitches with patchy parts of his skin. Aldred looked down at his own arm coated in thick red scales.

He was completely different from the rest. Unlike scars of battle, he had a claw for an arm and a tail that ripped its way out of any normal clothes. Despite the mass amount of eccentric people in the Halidom, when his features were pointed out he couldn’t help _but_ think about it more. This place had given him many things, but not all of them where things he _wanted_.

“How come you don’t look like an old hag?” Aldred had started speaking before it even registered. Cassandra was mid-drink when he spoke up. She paused, only for a second, before lowering the cup from her lips.

“My, your tongue is sharp today. It’s rude to comment on a lady’s appearance! Andromeda should have scolded you more... She’s such a softie.” Cassandra pressed a hand against her cheek, looking almost wistful. Aldred wanted to gag.

“Just answer the question.” He grumbled. Cassandra returned to leaning in her chair, crossing her legs over each other with a thoughtful look. She seemed to be mulling over something, but from where Aldred sat he couldn’t guess what.

“Are you worried about your own appearance?” She returned by asking a question herself. Aldred’s frown became a canyon on his face.

“No.” He said sharply.

“Then why do you ask?”

“Curious.” Aldred looked at his shoes. His tail idly swished behind him as he merely thought. He didn’t even notice those tiny things anymore, it was all natural to him as breathing. Until he thought about it, then did he become more aware of what he was. Every time he had felt okay in his form, in this body of his, it only took one thing to trigger something in him and made that mirror crack. He didn’t want to admit that to Cassandra; or even himself for that matter.

She grew quiet. Her eyes stared at him through half-closed lids. It was almost weird to see her in thought, but he had seen her work on her spells before. It was different from her normal concentrated look; there was a twinge of sadness behind her eyes.

“I made a foolish choice, dearie.” Her eyes closed then and she took another drink, “Are you hoping I can rewind time for you?” That had Aldred’s head perking up.

“What?”

“Oh? Was that not your goal?” Cassandra was surprised. Looks like she missed the mark there. There was an odd sense of pride in him, but he shook it off.

“No! That’s not even close to what I was thinkin’!” Aldred huffed, though he realized now he was getting a little thirsty. “...Give me some of that tea.” 

She smiled and waved her fingers again. A cup appeared from the side of one of her cabinets, matching its twin sitting in her hand. The teapot floated towards it, pouring carefully into the cup. Once it was full, it floated down towards Aldred’s waiting hand. Two sugar cubes floated from the small bowl on the tea table before they dropped in his drink with a tiny splash. 

He made a face, but didn’t protest any more. At least she was considerate. He took a drink and let the warm liquid fill him up. It warmed his insides and tasted slightly bitter, but the dissolving sugar had helped ease the taste.

“I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions then.” Cassandra leaned back against her chair, “I was expecting you to ask me if I could undo your wyrmbinding.” Aldred stared at her like a deer under a lamplight. Actually, why hadn’t he thought that before? Probably because he still needed this power in order to crush the Syndicate. Using the power itself was a drain on his life, but it was all for his revenge.

However, some of that had changed when he met Euden. He was still, as Andromeda put it, reckless but now he found himself more mindful of his body’s limits. He wasn’t alone anymore. If he just went and got himself killed, that wouldn’t solve anything now. Aldred shifted in his chair, setting down his teacup on the table.

“No… our bodies are probably too connected to rip us apart anymore. Those damn Syndicate goons really wanted to make sure I could use this power… Probably so they could make me some brain dead puppet.” Aldred lifted his right hand, flexing his claws with a frown, “But… I still need this power if I want my revenge. As much of a pain as it is, I won’t give it up just because a few guys gave me some weird looks.”

“Oh ho, was someone bullying you?” Cassandra asked with a smirk. Aldred floundered for a second.

“Wh-what? No!”

“It’s okay to be a child still, dearie.” Cassandra’s eyes closed, “Your life was taken away from you after all. The dissonance you’re feeling is natural.” Aldred stared at her for a few moments.

“Natural?” Aldred’s eyebrows furrowed together. Cassandra tilted her head up a little bit. She leaned forward, setting her own tea down on it’s matching saucer. Her elbow rested against her knees, cupping her hand under her chin as she leaned forward.

“It’s not often you’ll find people similar to your situation. Since you’re fused with a dragon, the Ilian church looks at you as though you are a sinner for something you couldn’t have prevented. Even if they don’t believe you’re a sinner yourself, they’ll still give looks that’ll send a chill right down your spine, right?”

Curran came to Aldred’s mind at that. The way he avoided him didn’t look like one out of hatred at least. He only gave a small nod in response, picking his drink back up and sipping it quietly. Cassandra continued on.

“Us old folks are resistant to change. That's the joy of youth. You’ve still got time to grow, Aldred. Feeling comfortable in your own skin is one that takes patience and is difficult, if nigh impossible, for most of us.”

“I don’t care about growing,” Aldred hissed into his tea, “I just want to crush those Syndicate bastards. I want them to pay in their blood and live through the suffering I did. These’re just pesky thoughts buzzing in my ears.”

“Spoken like a child,” Cassandra smiled to herself. Aldred rolled his eyes.

“Are you done lecturing me?” He asked as he got to his feet. The tea was gone from his cup by now and he had finally gotten used to the smell in the workshop. Cassandra’s smile faded and was replaced by one of surprise.

“My, you’re leaving already? You didn’t even try any of my cookies. You should eat something before you go on the warpath.”

“No way. I don’t want to end up drugged.” Aldred turned his back towards her. The air suddenly crackled and a shiver ran down Aldred’s spine. All at once the atmosphere turned deadly. What was this ominous feeling crossing over him…? Aldred slowly turned to look behind him, only to be met with Cassandra’s smile. It crept across her face slowly, but it was hollow. 

This was the smile of a demon.

“What was that, dearie?”

There was no way he was getting out of here without eating something.

* * *

Aldred ripped the weeds from the garden with a newfound savagery. His claws made it easy to delve deep into the earth to unravel the roots of the weeds themselves. He let his mind go blank, only focusing on the task at hand; clearing the garden of its infestation and protecting the flowers growing in this bed. The garden of the Halidom was vast and wide, stretching far beyond towards the edges of the castle proper. 

Because of its size, it was rare you would run into other people tending the garden unless they were working in the same field as you. Running into a battle-crazed Aeleen or making Ricardt faint by turning in front of a bush too fast wasn’t exactly commonplace. The fields were large when Aldred arrived, but they only seemed to get bigger with each passing harvest.

Aldred pulled himself from his weeding frenzy, coated in soil from his arms to his face. He wiped his forehead with his good arm, glancing behind him at the clumps of weeds scattered at his side. He let his thoughts return to reality, eyes turned towards the blue sky dotted with white clouds.

“Hello, Aldred.” A voice made him turn his head. Standing there was the familiar face of Cleo. She was donned in a different outfit than he was used to. She wore a large straw hat that blocked the offending gaze of the sun, a pair of gloves, and a large white and pink apron to shield herself of any dirt stains. She had armed herself with a light blue watering can when she walked up to him. Aldred sat on his knees, staring up at her with a tilt of his head.

“Hey,” was all he said in response. He didn’t mind Cleo all that much, but most of the time she was scolding him for something. It wasn’t _his_ fault the Syndicate wanted to target the Halidom with their mind games! They were lucky he was the one on patrol… though he would admit he had gotten carried away on the tiny occasion. He huffed to himself and bent to scoop up the weeds again.

“Aldred, you’re quite filthy. You really should take a bath once you’re done here.” Cleo chided. Aldred looked up at her with a frown.

“Yeah, yeah, I know already.” He rolled his eyes, but the sylvan’s stern gaze was still on him. He sighed, getting to his feet while holding the weeds against his chest. Great, now his shirt was gonna get dirty too.

“Thank you, by the way,” Cleo continued, “Your help in the garden is well appreciated… despite your outbursts. I can’t even get Ranzal to help me out without bribing him with a promise of food. Honestly...” That last part he could tell was mostly added to herself, but Aldred didn’t really care.

“S’fine.” He mumbled slightly. Cleo’s expression turned into one of curiosity now.

“...Are you alright Aldred?”

“What? Why’re you asking that?” He grumbled, already moving past her with hurried steps. She turned, but it wasn’t long before she was following behind him. What a pain.

“You’re less vocal than normal.” She replied, “You give me more lip than just that usually.” It felt a little bad to hear her say it aloud, but it wasn’t like Cleo didn’t have a point. Aldred stopped and Cleo copied him, only a few paces behind him.

“Just got a lot on my mind.” He said before he started moving again. Cleo didn’t follow him this time. He made his way towards the nearby shed, glancing around briefly. Where was it… ah ha! It didn’t take him long to locate the bin they used for dumping weeds they had uprooted. He dropped his pile inside it, clapping his hands to free them of dirt. 

Just as he was wiping off the dirt on his shirt did he realize Cleo _had_ followed him. Her mouth was pressed into a thin line, but he could see the worry in her eyes. Aldred stared back at her.

“What now?”

“Is it about the Syndicate?” She asked, almost carefully. Aldred blinked once, as if he didn’t completely understand her question.

“What? No, it’s got nothin’ t’do with that.” He said and that seemed to shock her more, “What’s that look for?”

“I’m just… surprised your mind isn’t completely stuffed about the Syndicate.”

“Oh _har har_.”

“M-My apologies…” Cleo looked genuinely guilty at that. He felt a twinge in his heart, but he hurriedly looked away with a frown. Cleo didn’t say anything further, merely staring at her shoes for a long while. Aldred was expecting some sort of snappy comment, but he only sighed.

“D’ya need anything else?” He shoved his thumbs in his pocket, staring at her expectantly. She seemed to be thinking, her lip jutting out ever so slightly. Aldred wasn’t sure if he should wait for her answer or just head out. Whatever it was, he probably wasn’t going to enjoy it.

“Would you mind helping me a bit more?” She asked with a tiny bit of caution in her voice. Aldred’s eyebrows raised, but he only nodded his head.

“Sure thing.” He said. Cleo’s lips turned up into a smile and she gestured her head towards the fields again.

“Thank you, Aldred. Follow me, then.”

The boy did as he was told, trailing behind Cleo like a duckling to its mother. Working in the garden was Aldred’s… solace, he would say. It was a calming and soothing activity. Taking care of life from tiny seeds had some sort of effect on him. He liked tending to them. Despite his personality, anyone who found out about his hobby usually was surprised. Everyone knew of Aldred’s bloodlust for the Syndicate’s head, but he would call himself tame compared to some of the people here.

Eventually, the two of them moved to another patch of flowers. The warm summer air filled them with life and their petals shined with the sun’s rays. It made for a colorful array of yellow, white, pink, and blue. Cleo scanned the horizon, placing her free hand over her head as she stared out.

“This should be it. I don’t believe anyone’s weeded here yet. I have some watering to do in this patch as well.” Cleo nodded to herself. Aldred took a glance at the flowerbed too. Sure enough, there were tiny sprouts poking between the bushes.

“Gotcha.” Aldred said, rolling up his metaphorical sleeves. Time to get to work. He bent back down again, using his right arm to carefully till the soil. It turned up more of those little sprouts, pulling them out along with it. Carefully, he began using the tips of his claws to dig them out of the soil. In a way, it was just like culling the Syndicate. On a more minor scale, of course.

“Aldred…?” Cleo spoke up from where she was standing, just a little bit above him. Water cascaded gently onto the flowerbed, coating their petals with a fine layer of water. She was being careful not to accidentally spray him, at least.

“If you’re here to pity me, you can shove it.” Aldred grunted as he pulled at a stubborn weed.

“If something's bothering you, it may help if you talk about it.”

“Already did.”

“To who?”

“The old hag.”

From there it was silent between them. Aldred let out a satisfied grunt as he finally pulled out the weed. He tossed it behind him before his eyes were on Cleo. She was continuing her own work, though her face was contemplative. Man, Euden sure made everyone a bleeding heart around here. Maybe not everyone, if that Heinwald guy was anything to talk about. He shook his head, focusing on his task again.

It took them another hour before the bed had been completely scalped of weeds and properly watered. Aldred got to his feet with a groan, feeling the dull ache in his arms and legs. He had used up a lot of energy already… he could feel the pangs of hunger already forming in his stomach. Maybe he should have eaten more than a few cookies…

“Are you hungry?” Cleo asked as she joined his side, removing her hat.

“Yeah, starvin’.” He stretched out his arms with a nod.

“Then let us take a break. I’ll prepare us some lunch.” She said gently. Aldred found it hard not to agree with that. They gathered their tools and the rest of the weeds, moving towards the Halidom proper. As they were walking, Cleo fell into step beside him. Aldred blinked once in confusion, but she was speaking before he could ask what was up.

“I realize it's not my place to bother you about how you’re feeling but… I hope you can rely on everyone here in the future.” Cleo gave him a warm smile, much different from her usual self. It took him completely off guard. A blush crept on his cheeks and he hurriedly looked away to avoid her gaze.

“Y-yeah…”

Once the two headed inside the kitchen, they were met with a certain someone Aldred had seen earlier. Curran was standing there, tossing an apple up and down idly in his palm. Cleo was the first to call out to him.

“Curran, what are you doing?” The man froze in place, catching the apple quickly. He straightened up at the sight of her, though his surprise only furthered when he saw Aldred standing there.

“Oh, hey it's you guys.” He lifted a hand over his head in greeting, “I was just gonna have a snack before me ‘n Heinwald head out.” ‘ _Heading out?’_ Aldred thought to himself. Before he could voice it, Cleo beat him to the punch.

“Are you chasing another one of Heinwald’s cases?” Cleo asked. Curran nodded briefly before he took a bite out of his apple.

“Don’t miss us too much, okay?” He smiled once he had chewed his bits of apple. Cleo could only sigh to herself.

“I certainly won’t miss your table manners… or Heinwald’s _everything_.” Cleo frowned. The chill that went up Aldred’s spine wasn’t missed by him. Curran could only laugh, scratching at the back of his neck. He paused for a moment, his focus now on Aldred. The boy stiffened up, expecting him to start something for a moment. No way that would happen, but hey, you never know.

“Listen… I’m sorry, kid. Heinwald was right about what he said. I couldn’t give you a fair shake ‘coz of your looks. Bein’ an Inquisitor is my job, so ya know how it is, but that’s not your fault. So, I’m sorry ‘bout that.” He looked apologetic at the least. Aldred huffed, burying his head further into the collar of his shirt.

“W-whatever. Not like I care.” Aldred’s words betrayed his face. Curran seemed happy with that, but he kept going. Aldred felt his shoulders sink deeper into his shirt as if that would absorb him away from this conversation.

“Don’t worry about Heinwald either, he’s always rough around the edges towards people.” Curran scratched at his chin.

“No kidding…” Cleo commented.

“He’s not a bad guy, honestly. I asked him a little bit more about those Syndicate guys for you. He may not seem interested, but he said he’d give you some clues once we get back.” That had Aldred retreating out of his shell. His eyes widened in surprise, staring at Curran with an owlish look.

“Seriously?” He asked and Curran nodded.

“Yeah, if this guy doesn’t get me killed before we’re back.” The blonde man rubbed at his hair before sighing. Cleo only let out a tiny laugh, but stepped forward and patted his arm.

“I wish you luck on your trip then. I’ll prepare you both a to-go lunch if you have time to spare.” That had Curran’s face lighting up.

“Cleo, has anyone ever told you you’re a gift from Ilia herself?”

“I’m sure it’s come up once or twice.”

The two moved further inside the kitchen, leaving Aldred to stand there with his hands in his pockets. Geez… these Halidom guys were sure weirdos. First that guy was shunning him for his appearance, now he was getting helped out by that old man who had told him to buzz off? The Halidom attracted all types, he supposed. It would only be a matter of time until Andromeda found him by now.

Still, he couldn’t tell himself he completely hated being here. Never once would he admit it… but it was starting to remind him of home; his home with his sister and his parents in his old village. Before the Syndicate had stolen it all away and coated him in blood. With that thought, Aldred walked slowly further into the kitchen after the two of them.

Maybe, just maybe, if he didn't die from crushing the Syndicate it wouldn't be so bad to settle down here.


End file.
